


Wings

by cotharsis



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: 2hyun - Freeform, Canon Compliant, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, jmin, minhyun is an angel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-13 14:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11187411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cotharsis/pseuds/cotharsis
Summary: jonghyun didn't expect his soulmate to be so close.





	Wings

Jonghyun was drinking water when he felt it, a strange burning feeling on his left shoulder blade. He flinched, almost dropping his bottle, and spilled some water on the front of his shirt. 

Guanlin turned to look at him, eyebrow raised. “Hyung, you okay?”

“Y-yeah, my hand just slipped. I'm gonna go change,” Jonghyun stuttered, and quickly exited the practice room. 

What was that? Jonghyun wondered, rubbing his shoulder. The burning feeling had went away, but something didn't feel right. He went to his dorm room, grabbed a spare shirt, and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. With a swift pull, his shirt was off and he turned to look at his shoulder in the mirror. 

He blinked and stared. 

Blinked, and stared. On his shoulder blade, was a small pair of wings. A thick black outline, resembling a tattoo. 

My soulmate…? But why now? Jonghyun ran his hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. His next performance was coming up, he didn't have time to get distracted and ponder about this. 

The mark that identified who your soulmate was. It appeared on everyone at different times and different places with different shapes. Sometimes it was a symbol that represented your soulmate, and other times it was simply their name. Sometimes it appeared at birth, and there were even times when it appeared for people long after they had already married and lived half their lives. 

Even if you had a soulmate, it didn't mean you had to fall in love with them, many just remained long time friends. But regardless of what you do, there will always be a pull towards your soulmate, an invisible string that ties you together. 

Jonghyun put on his spare shirt and left the bathroom, pushing his questions to the back of his mind. 

-

Minki saw it by accident. 

Jonghyun had been changing by his bunk bed when Minki burst into his dorm room with a “hyung!” and about to go in panic about getting another pimple on his pretty face. He quickly shut his mouth when he saw the mark. 

“What do you want Minki? This isn't your room.” Jonghyun tugged his shirt all the way down. 

“Hyung, you finally got it?”

Jonghyun blinked, before running his hand over the back of his neck and sitting on the bottom bunk. 

“Please don't tell anyone. I don't want there to be any interruptions in our practice.”

“Aren't you curious about who it is?” Minki sat next to him, eyes bright. 

“No.”

Minki raised his eyebrows. 

“…” Jonghyun sighed. “Well, yes, but I don't have time to worry about it right now.”

Minki frowned. “If you're even a little bit curious, you'll be more distracted if you don't know.”

“Well, do you expect me to leave and go on a search for a soulmate when I have no idea who it might be?”

Minki laughed a little, and ruffled Jonghyun’s hair as if he was the hyung and not the other way around. “You don't have to, they're always right beside you.”

Jonghyun looked up and blinked at Minki. “What? But you already have-”

“No, no, not me, silly.” Minki laughed again, louder this time. 

Jonghyun frowned, his barely suppressed curiosity growing. “Then, who? You sound like you know.”

Taemin walked in, yawning. Minki stood up, giving Jonghyun a knowing smile before waving and sauntering his way out. 

-  
Jonghyun was walking down the hall to his individual practice room when he heard a familiar voice drifting out from a slightly opened room. 

He paused and smiled, listening to Minhyun's honey voice as he sang a part of a song. Despite having heard Minhyun sing countless times before, Jonghyun was always awed by how beautiful his voice was. He continued to walk down the corridor, humming along with the familiar tune. 

“You really have the voice of an angel.” Jaehwan’s voice sounded through the crack in the doorway. 

Jonghyun stopped in his tracks. 

“And that's coming from the best vocalist in Produce 101?” 

Jonghyun could almost hear the grin in Minhyun’s voice. 

“I'm serious! It's like you came down from heaven, your voice is angelic.”

Jonghyun cringed. He felt bad for eavesdropping, but he couldn't bring himself to move away. 

“Yah, is that a pick-up line? ‘Cuz it's awful. I hear stuff like that all the time.”

“W-what? Pfft, no, I'm just saying the truth!” 

Minhyun laughed his cute hearty laugh, and something unpleasant twisted in Jonghyun's stomach. “Okay, okay, sure. Never thought something so cheesy would come out of your mouth, though.”

Jaehwan joined in the laughter. “I can do cheesy, what are you talking about? How about you show me where your wings were cut off?”

Minhyun guffawed. 

Jonghyun blinked, and suddenly it felt like he was underwater. Their voices faded away, and there was a ringing in his ears. His mark seemed to feel hot again.

Wings? Angel…? No way. 

“Jonghyun-hyung?”

Jonghyun started and whirled around to see who tapped his shoulder. 

Guanlin was staring back, eyes wide from his sudden movement. “You okay…? You're being weird lately, hyung.”

Jonghyun felt a little embarrassed. “Oh, sorry, no, I'm fine. Just a little stressed.”

Guanlin frowned. “Why don't you take a break then, we’re just writing our individual rap right now.”

Jonghyun felt like a terrible leader. “Sorry… I'll be fine.”

-

He was walking to his group practice room from the bathroom when he ran into Minhyun along the way. Minhyun immediately grinned and ruffled Jonghyun’s hair. 

“Hey onibugi, how's your practice?”

Jonghyun swatted his hand away, feeling his face heat up. 

“I told you not to do that! Be more respectful, I'm your hyung.”

Minhyun made a face. “You're still going on about that? You're older only by a month.”

“I'm your leader.” Jonghyun tried not to pout. 

“Not here, not now.” Minhyun retorted cheekily. 

Jonghyun stared at him stonefaced. 

Minhyun struggled to hold in his laughter. “Kidding, kidding. You know I love and respect you a lot right? Should I tell you more often?”

Jonghyun didn't change his expression, focusing on keeping his composure. 

“No thanks.” 

Jonghyun suddenly felt self conscious when he noticed Minhyun no longer meeting his eyes but rather looking at his hair. He ran his hand through his hair, biting his lip.

“What, is my hair messy? Your fault for mussing it–”

Minhyun leaned in without a warning, and Jonghyun automatically tensed at his close proximity, eyes wide. His hand reached for Jonghyun’s head and Jonghyun was prepared to slap it away again, but Minhyun only picked a piece of lint out of his hair. He showed it to Jonghyun, amusement barely concealed on his face. 

“This was in your hair.”

Jonghyun flushed. Minhyun was close enough for his breath to fan across Jonghyun’s face when he talked. 

Stepping back quickly, Jonghyun tousled his hair. “T-that's nice. I mean, not the lint, just that you helped-I mean… thanks.”

Jonghyun mentally punched himself for acting so awkward around his best friend for no apparent reason. 

“You're welcome,” Minhyun smiled as he walked by him, patting Jonghyun’s shoulder as he passed. “See you around!”

Jonghyun remained where he was, willing his heart to calm down. 

There was no way Minhyun was his soulmate. No way. They've been band mates for over 5 years. They've seen each at their highs and lows, and know all about each other's faults. If anything, they're like family. It'd be too weird. 

Would it?

He flailed his arms around, trying to physically push away the thought. 

-

Jonghyun stepped into the cafeteria, slightly self-conscious about his sweatshirt when everyone else was in t-shirts. He had been feeling more conscious about his mark and didn't want to risk it being seen. 

His eyes stopped on Minhyun when he spotted him, and he bit his lip when he saw Minhyun’s arm around Jaehwan’s shoulders and his other hand ruffling Hyunbin’s hair. A content smile was on his face as he laughed at Hyunbin. 

Minhyun was always a touchy and affectionate person, since before debut. He loved to love and be loved, and he often conveyed that through his touches, whether it was an arm around a shoulder, a ruffle on the head, a hand on a thigh. 

Jonghyun didn't really notice it in the past, knowing it was the norm. He would often shrug off Minhyun’s arm, embarrassed and feeling small next to his tall, model-like frame. 

And yet why was he feeling an unfamiliar jealousy growing in his chest, why was he longing for Minhyun's undivided attention when they had lived in each other’s eyes for more than six years?

Jonghyun didn't really want to know the answer. 

-

After constantly running in circles in his own mind, he decided to go to Minki for help. 

“I think it's Minhyun. I can't be certain but I just feel like it is for some reason.” Jonghyun twisted the hem of his shirt in his hands. 

Minki hummed, focusing on his skincare products. “Then it must be.”

“And I think I might like him. Not in a friend way.”

Minki patted his face with lotion. “That's great for you!”

“But I've never thought of him as anything more than a good friend and bandmate. I must be ridiculous for feeling this way now! Especially if it's just because of a possibility that he might be my soulmate. This… attraction, it feels fake.”

Minki set his lotion down and turned to face Jonghyun. “Jonghyun. That's because you were practically blind this entire time. Everyone else around you could tell that Minhyun treated you differently, and everyone also noticed that he was special to you in a way no one else was. It only feels strange right now because you've just realized it.”

Jonghyun stared at him, overwhelmed. “I… Then what should I do?”

Minki grinned. “Well, you got to tell him, of course.”

Jonghyun didn't tell him right away. Actually, he tried avoiding the matter for as long as he could, reluctant on possibly breaking his friendship with Minhyun. Except it seemed to be crumbling without him doing anything anyway. It wasn't easy trying to regularly talk to Minki and Dongho, let alone the source of his problems. He started to feel distant towards Minhyun, who was also focusing on his team and helping the younger trainees practice. Minhyun was extremely friendly so the other trainees seemed to latch onto him like moths pulled to a flame. 

Whenever Jonghyun thought he should maybe just get it over with and tell Minhyun what he felt, he'd see Minhyun talking to the other trainees or Seonho clinging to him like a koala. 

So rather than approaching Minhyun, Jonghyun started practicing harder than ever, trying to forget his troubles by completely emptying his mind of distractions. 

It worked. Somewhat. After all, he was too tired to think about anything other than trying not to trip over his leaden legs and fall on his face while walking from his group practice room towards his individual training room to start his rap practice. 

That failed. 

Jonghyun blinked away the black spots appearing in the corners of his vision and shook his head, only to feel more dizzy. He tripped over his own feet and the world tilted. It seemed like the floor had risen to meet him. 

It suddenly stopped, and his face was a foot away from smashing into the ground. A warm arm was wrapped around his torso. 

“You okay?”

Jonghyun turned his head at the gentle, worried voice. Minhyun was staring down at him, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Ah, Minhyun.” Jonghyun scrambled to stand upright, only succeeding with Minhyun’s help. He leaned against the wall. “Long time no see,” he muttered, head still muddled from lack of sleep. 

Minhyun licked his lips, his habit when nervous. “You don't look so good, you should head back to the dorms to sleep, not the practice rooms.”

Jonghyun shook his head adamantly. “I'm not going back to the dorms yet, I need to practice.”

Minhyun sighed, knowing how stubborn Jonghyun could be when he had his mind set. He stepped forward to grab Jonghyun’s hand before walking towards his practice room. 

“Fine, but you're going to take a nap in my practice room before you start practicing again.”

Jonghyun made a noise of disagreement, but was cut off quickly when Minhyun turned to give him a hard look. Minhyun rarely ever got upset, and Jonghyun didn't want to become the cause of his anger. 

When they reached the individual practice room, Minhyun made Jonghyun sit by the wall and sleep. And so he did. 

Jonghyun woke up a few hours later, his head resting on Minhyun’s shoulder. He blinked, trying not to jostle Minhyun too much, who had also fallen asleep, head resting on Jonghyun’s head, lyric sheets in his hand and an earbud still playing in his ear. 

Jonghyun sat like that, a small smile on his face, ignoring the ache in his neck, until Minhyun woke up. Minhyun sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes, and jumped a little when he saw Jonghyun watching him. 

“Oh Jonghyun, sorry… How long were you awake?”

Jonghyun scratched his head and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall which read roughly four thirty five am. “About twenty minutes. I'm assuming you sat there much longer though. Sorry for using your shoulder.”

“Oh no, it's fine. I was just going over my song anyway.” Minhyun stood up to stretch, before holding his hand out to Jonghyun for him to do the same. 

“It's been a while since I was alone with you like this,” Jonghyun said quietly. His body still felt tired, but his mind was clear now. 

Minhyun sat against the table and smiled. “That's true. We’ve both been so busy, I rarely saw you around.”

Jonghyun was quiet for a bit, before speaking up. “Sorry, I didn't mean to let us get so distant…”

Minhyun looked up at him, confused. “What? It's not your fault, though.” He licked his lips. 

Jonghyun swallowed, his throat feeling dry. “It kind of is. The truth is… I got my soulmate tattoo. And I didn't want to tell anyone.”

Minhyun’s eyes widened. “You what?”

“I found out who my soulmate was.” Jonghyun fiddled with the hem of his sweatshirt.

Minhyun licked his lips again. “Oh, I see. May I ask who it is?”

Jonghyun could feel his face heating up from Minhyun’s gaze, and leaned against the wall for support. “It's you.”

Jonghyun stared at his hands, tense at the silence that enveloped them. But when he couldn't stand it anymore and glanced at Minhyun, Minhyun was smiling at the ground.

Jonghyun bit his lip, feeling nervous.

“I'm glad.” Minhyun finally spoke. Jonghyun blinked, confused. 

“I didn't tell you either, but I've had my soulmate tattoo for a long time. Since before our debut as Nu'est.”

Jonghyun stared, shocked by his sudden confession. Minhyun already had a soulmate? Jonghyun started feeling anxious. What if it wasn't Jonghyun? It wasn't often, but sometimes soulmates didn't match up. If was Jonghyun, wouldn't Minhyun have told him already?

While Jonghyun was struggling with his thoughts, Minhyun had come to stand in front of him. 

When Jonghyun looked up at Minhyun calling his name, Minhyun slipped his thumb behind his waistband and tugged it down a bit. 

Jonghyun jumped. “Hey, what-?”

Minhyun chuckled before pulling Jonghyun’s hand from his eyes by the wrist. 

“Don't worry, it's not what you think. Not that you haven't seen me naked before anyway.”

Jonghyun sputtered, red faced, trying to tug his arm away, before glancing at Minhyun’s other hand. Just below the hip line, on the pelvic bone leading towards his thigh, a small black cursive lettering was painted across Minhyun's porcelain skin. Jonghyun blinked. 

Minhyun let go of his wrist. “I'm honestly lucky to have it in such an area. People won't be able to see it, probably.” He laughed, and Jonghyun started a little, shaken from his daze. 

His mind was blank. He looked away from the little cursive letters, j and r, and blinked at Minhyun. “Junior…?”

Minhyun raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, trying not to laugh. “After all these years, the first thing you think when you see j and r is junior?”

Jonghyun suddenly sat down, his legs feeling too weak to support his weight. “I mean, it's lower case… Isn't that what you see too?”

Minhyun squatted down right in front of Jonghyun, an adoring smile on his face. 

“Nah, I see JR.”

**Author's Note:**

> jmin is life.  
> sorry if this seems really choppy, it took months for me to finish this for some reason so it's kinda obvious that some sections were written at different times haha...  
> also sorry it's an abrupt ending. i'm not sure if i want to continue it or? tell me what you think in the comments!  
> but now that i know minhyun will be alone in wanna one, idk if it'll be all fluff if i continue. it might turn angsty


End file.
